Sharpening device for steel edges of skis



Sept. 5, 1967 G, SQNN 3,339,433

SHARPENING DEVICE FOR STEEL EDGES OF SKIS rFiled July 24, 1964 United States Patent O f 3,339,433 SHARPENING DEVICE FoR STEEL EDGES or sKis Claims The invention relates generally to edge sharpening devices, and more particularly to a device for sharpening the steel edges of skis.

The skis commonly employed at the present time utilize so-called steel edges which are embedded in their running surface or base along the edegs thereof, which steel edges normally comprise steel bands or strips, which are narrow in relation to the width of the running surface. Such steel edges are level or flush with the running surface and protrude by about one millimeter beyond its edges, that is, beyond the side edges of the ski. By these steel edges a sure steering of the ski is achieved, for example, in the case of hard, solidly packed downhill stretches, and especially in curves. This sure guidance is provided, however, only if the steel edges are sharp. The edge sharpness, however, decreases as the skis are used, whereby a rounding of the edges eventually occurs.

The invention thus relates to a device for sharpening ski steel edges that have become dull.

A number of problems are basic to the invention; the sharpening device should be small and handy, so that the skier can take it along in his pack and always be in a position to sharpen the steel edges of his skis whenever required; the sharpening device should, however, also be eicient, that is, with simple handling it should strip only as much from the steel edge as is precisely necessary; and last but not least, the sharpening device should damage the running surface of the ski as little as possible.

These problems are solved by a sharpening device for steel ski edges which is characterized according to the invention in that it consists of a body member having a slide member movably mounted therein, the slide member carrying a sharpening blade, and being slidable relative to a guide or support for the side edges of the ski. The support or guide comprises two rollers mounted on the body member, and in addition the latter is provided, in front of the support or guide rollers and the sharpening blade slidably carried on the slidemember, -with a ski-support or guide surface. The guide rollers preferably have for better running on the side edges of the ski in the sliding of the sharpening device, narrow knurled ring flanges.

To prevent any protruding elements associated with the binding of the ski, or other protruding elements, which may extend along the side edge of the ski, from being damaged by the sharpening blade, as well as protection of the sharpening blade and/or protection from injury thereby, there are disposed on the body member in the design of the invention betweeny the guide rollers n both sides of the sharpening blade, protective lugs or projections which have on the upper sides thereof recesses for the free passage of any elements protruding from the edge of t-he ski.

In front ofthe guide rollers the body member expediently has a supporting or guiding surface for the running surface of the ski, which is grooved parallel to the .con-

3,339,433 Patented Sept. 5, 1967 ICC necting line of the rollers, the grooving providing a supporting surface for the ski that is superior to a plain flat surface.

Since in use the sharpening device will be thrust along on the side edge of the ski with some force, the body member in an embodiment of the invention is provided with trough-shaped gripping surfaces, longitudinally grooved transversely to the connecting line of the guide rollers.

The sharpening blade is fixed in place in the slide member by means of a set screw which extend in the direction of sliding movement of the slide member. Thereby, without diiculty and wit-hout necesity for the body member to be opened laterally, the set screw can be loosened after removal of an adjusting screw for the slide member.

To enable the efficient adjustment of the sharpening blade, it may have a flat surface extending in its desired position transversely to the sliding direction of the slide member, against which surface the set screw engages with a centering effect.

In the event an oblique centering of the sharpening blade is desired, there can be provided in the slide member two set screws extending oppositely toward one another for the securing of the sharpening blade in a desired oblique position.

A further improvement with respect to the simplified handling of the device and the general treatment of the running surface of the ski is achieved if at least one roller is provided in the supporting surface of the body member, the axis of the supporting shaft of such roller extending perpendicular to the sharpening or honing direction and parallel t-o the supporting surface, with such shaft being anchored in the body member of the sharpening device.

Preferably two such rollers are utilized which are arranged on opposite sides of the slide member, parallel to the latter. Thereby and in cooperation with said support or guide rollers, there is assured an effectively guided rolling action of the sharpening device, free of undesired displacement and tipping.

As mentioned, the running surface of the ski, especially when it is provided with a plastic coating or base, should be damaged as little as possible in the sharpening process. For this purpose it is proposed, on the one hand, that softer elastic material be used for the rollers, as compared to the material from which the running surface is formed epoxy resins or polytetrauoro-ethylene or rubber, preferably hard rubber, ber materials, as for example, felt, or other suitable materials, may be utilized.'

On the other hand, it is proposed for said purpose that the roller surfaces be roughened or provided with grooves in longitudinal direction of the rollers, the roller surfaces preferably having projections, that is raised parts, which are preferably of pyramidal form. The pyramidal form of the projections can be achieved by spirally cutting the roller to form grooves extending in opposed directions in the roller surface, for example, by a grinding operation.

Further details of the invention will appear from the following examples of construction, with reference to the drawing, like reference characters indicating like or corresponding parts, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a sharpening device according to the invention, approximately in actual size;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 2, taken approximately on the line III-III thereof;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the device shown in FIG. l, viewed in direction IV;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of another example of construction of a device according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 6, viewed in direction VII;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 6, taken approximately on the line VIII- VIII thereof; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged section through the slide member carrying the sharpening blade.

Referring initially to FIGS. l-4, slidably supported in a body member 1 is a slide member 2, which carries a sharpening blade 3. Adjustment of the slide member 2 may be accomplished by the loosening of one of the two knurled screws 27 or 28 and tightening of the other whereby the sharpening blade may be shifted to the connecting line between the rollers 4 and 5 which serve as a guide or support on which may bear the side edges of a ski, the steel edges of which are to be sharpened.

The rollers 4 and 5 have narrow knurled ring flanges 6, and disposed between the rollers 4 and 5 on both sides above the sharpening blade 3 are protective projections 7 and 8 which are formed on the top thereof with recesses 9 and 10 for the free .passage thereby of portions of the ski binding or other projecting elements carried by the ski.

Disposed on the body member 1 in front of the rollers 4, 5 and in front of the sharpening blade 3 is a skisupporting surface 11, which may be provided with grooves extending parallel to the connecting line of the rollers 4, 5. On both sides, the member 7 may be provided with longitudinally grooved trough-shaped manual gripping surfaces 12, 13 extending transversely to the connecting line of the rollers 4, 5 (FIG. 4).

Disposed in a threaded bore in the slide member 2 for rigidly securing the sharpening blade 3 therein, with respect to the sliding direction of the slide member 2, is a set screw 14.

The sharpening blade 3 is provided with a flat surface 15 extending transversely to the sliding direction of the slide member 2, on which surface the set screw 14 may engage with a centering effect (FIG. 3).

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 9, in which parts corresponding in FIGS. 1 to 4 are likewise provided with the same reference characters, the difference in this embodiment of the invention from that illustrated in FIGS. l to 4, primarily consists, on the one hand, in the provision of rollers 17, 1S in the supporting surface 16, and on the other hand, in the provision of means for effecting an oblique setting of the sharpening blade 3.

In the construction of FIG. 5 there projects through the supporting surface 16 a roller 18, the shaft 19 of which is anchored in the body member 1, as illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 6 there is illustrated the use of two rollers 17, 18 extending parallel to the slide member 2 and having oppositely extending spiral grooves in their surfaces which form pyramidal projections. In FIG. 6 there are also to be seen the shafts 19 and 20 and the set screws 23 and 24 serving for their retention.-

FIG. 7 illustrates the sharpening device of FIG. 6 as viewed in the direction VII, indicated in FIG. 6, in which gripping surfaces 12 and 13 (FIG. 4) are omitted.

In FIG. 8 the member 1 of generally solid construction is provided with a recess therein for the roller 18 and further recesses 21 and 22 for the shaft 19. The latter disposed in recesses 21, 22 is anchored in the embodiment illustrated with a set screw 23. Set screw 23 and shaft 19 may be formed as a single piece. By releasing the set screw 23 and removing the shaft 19, the roller 18 can if necessary be replaced.

By the arrangement of rollers in the sharpening device it is achieved that the movement of the sharpening device is more even and with less friction, whereby the skier, in sharpening the steel edges, can use more force for the specific sharpening action, while for the even seating of the sharpening device on the ski, he has to exert merely a light pressure in the direction of the edge to be sharpened, as the friction of the surface 11 on the running surface of the ski is eliminated. Moreover, the running Surface of the ski is more gently treated than would otherwise be the case.

FIG. 9 illustrates on a larger scale a section of the slide member 2, in which the sharpening blade 3 is accommodated expediently in a slot in the slide piece 2 extending obliquely to the perpendicular with respect to the supporting surface 11 or 16. The sharpening blade 3 is anchored in such slot in any desired tilted 4position by an angle oc with respect to the vertical position of the sharpening blade 3 by two set screws 25, 26 extending toward one another, with a perpendicular setting of the sharpening blade 3 with respect to the supporting surface 11 or 16. The steel ski edge can be sharpened at a right angle and with an oblique position at any desired angle; that is, the edge then forms an acute angle as the angle between the side surface and running surface of the steel edge band is less than 90 by the adjustment angle a.

The adjusting or setting of the cutting depth of the sharpening blade 3 is accomplished by turning the two knurled screws 27 and 28 with which the slide member 2 is adjustable in the member 1, in such a manner that first, depending upon the desired direction of adjustment, one of the two knurled screws is loosened and then by tightening of the other screw the slide member 2 is displaced the desired distance.

Changes may be made within the scope and spirit of the appended claims which dene what is believed to be new and desired to have protected by Letters Patent.

I claim:

1. A device for sharpening the steel edges of skis, cornprising a body member,

means on said body member for guiding said device for movement longitudinally along the edge of a ski,

a slide member carried by said body member for movement transverse to the direction of travel of the latter relative to a ski edge,

a sharpening blade mounted on said slide member,

and disposed for engagement with the steel edge of a ski to which the device is applied, means engageable with said body member and said slide member for retaining the latter in any of its adjusted positions with respect to said body member, said guiding means including two rolls mounted on said body for guiding a side surface of a ski, said body including projections disposed between said rolls and -on opposite sides of said sharpening blade, said projections having recesses therein on the upper side thereof,

said retaining means including a set screw disposed in said slide member and engaging said blade.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said retaining means includes a second set screw engaging said blade on an opposite side from the other set screw and offset therefrom whereby said sharpening blade may be tilted relative to said body.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said rolls include knurled ring flanges at one end of each.

4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said guiding means includes a surface which is grooved,

said grooves extending parallel to a line connecting peripheral points of said rolls.

'5. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said guiding means includes a first roller for supporting a bottom surface of the ski.

5 6 6. A device as deined in claim 5, wherein 10. A device as defined in claim 7, wherein said guiding means further includes a second roller for said first and second rollers are provided with a periphsupporting the bottom surface of the ski, eral surface of elastic material which is softer than said rst and second rollers being mounted on opposite the material forming the running surface of `the ski.

sides of said slide member and parallel thereto on 5 said body member. References Cited 7. A device as deiined in claim 5, wherein UNITED STATES PATENTS the surface of said irst roller is roughened. 8. A device as defined in claim 6, wherein tae 76-83 the surfaces of said liirst and second rollers are rough- 10 9781356 12/1910 Chaine 76 82 1 ened- 1,359,192 11/1920 Palas 76 82.1 9. A device as defined 1n claim 5, whereln 2,542 281 2/1951 Lef/[awk 76 83 X said iirst roller is lprovided with a peripheral surface 237901339 4/1957 Brink 76 82 of elastic material which is softer than the material forming the running ysur-face of the ski. 15 GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR SHARPENING THE STEEL EDGES OF SKIS, COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER, MEANS ON SAID BODY MEMBER FOR GUIDING SAID DEVICE FOR MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY ALONG THE EDGE OF A SKI, A SLIDE MEMBER CARRIED BY SAID BODY MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE LATTER RELATIVE TO A SKI EDGE, A SHARPENING BLADE MOUNTED ON SAID SLIDE MEMBER, AND DISPOSING FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE STEEL EDGE OF A SKI TO WHICH THE DEVICE IS APPLIED, MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID BODY MEMBER AND SAID SLIDE MEMBER FOR RETAINING THE LATTER IN ANY OF ITS ADJUSTED POSITIONS WITH RESPECT TO SAID BODY MEMBER, SAID GUIDING MEANS INCLUDING TWO ROLLS MOUNTED ON SAID BODY FOR GUIDING A SIDE SURFACE OF A SKI, SAID BODY INCLUDING PROJECTIONS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID ROLLS AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SHARPENING BLADE, SAID PROJECTIONS HAVING RECESSES THERIN ON THE UPPER SIDE THEREOF, SAID RETAINING MEANS INCLUDING A SET SCREW DISPOSED IN SAID SLIDE MEMBER AND ENGAGING SAID BLADE. 